Albi Cathedral
The Roman Catholic St. Cecilia Cathedral in Albi (French: Cathédrale Sainte -Cécile d' Albi) is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Albi France and one of the largest brick church in the world. Saint of the cathedral is the St. Cecilia.
Prehistory
The present cathedral had several predecessors. The first church building was from the fourth century and was destroyed by fire in 666. 920 is reported by a successor building. This was replaced by a Romanesque cathedral in the 13th century.
Construction
In 1282 was started at the request of Bishop Bernard de Castanet with the construction of a cathedral. She was largely completed in 1383. The construction work was completed, however, until 1492.
Still under the spell of the Albigensian crusade, the cathedral was built as a single-nave hall church like a fortress and acts like a fortified church. The walls are up to six meters thick.
The cathedral was built in the Gothic style, but not like most Gothic cathedrals in stone, but as a brick.
The 78 m-high bell tower was built from 1355 to 1366. The floor plan of the tower is in the lower, older part square with rounded corners. The newer, octagonal in plan upper part comes from the between 1485 bis 1492. Around the roof are white stone gargoyle.
Interior decoration
In contrast to the fortress-like exterior of the cathedral, the interior is designed artistically rich.
Italian artists designed the frescoes in the interior in the style of the early Renaissance. The fresco on the vault, with a length of 97 m and a width of 28 meters, the greatest work of the Italian Renaissance in France. It was designed from 1509 to 1512 by artists from Modena and Bologna.
A painting on the west wall of the nave is the Last Judgment dar. by an unknown Franco-Flemish painter 1474-1484 painted, it is one of the most important works of art of the late Middle Ages.
Bishop Louis I d' Amboise was the end of the 15th century rood screen in the flamboyant style in order and let disarm the fortified palace and make livable.
Organ
The organ was built in 1734-1736 by Christophe Moucherel with 43 stops on four manuals and today has 55 registers on 5 manuals and pedal. Especially known her prospectus, with 9 round towers of the largest historical prospectus world. The instrument was modified several times and expanded in 1747 by François Lépine, 1779 by Jean -Esprit Isnard and 1904 by Jean -Baptiste Puget. Nevertheless, the instrument is regarded as one of the largest and most important French Baroque organs. Thanks to an exemplary restoration by Bartoloméo Formentelli 1977-1981 their original sound character could be largely restored over the years. Titular organist since 1968, Mary Prat - Molinier, co - titulaire since 1995 Pierre Jean Schoen ( * 1967 in Belfort ).
- Pairing: Pos / G.O, . G.O. / Bombard Tirasse Bombard.
- ' Tremblant doux
- Tremblant continued
- Rossignol
Gallery
Main altar
Frescoes on the ceiling
Baroque organ
Rood screen
Frescoes
Gothic portal
Bishop's Chair